My 12-Week Photo Shoot Program
It all started on March 1st when I spoke to my friend @CoachJVB about setting up a photo shoot for a possible collab with her magazine Strong Fitness Magazine. This would be a different goal for me and I knew it would take another level of commitment. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but I wanted to do it … and I did!!
I promised I would share a bit of a breakdown of what I followed over the 12 weeks until my shoot on May 26th. Disclaimer: this type of program isn’t for everyone and you should always consult your doctor and/or a registered dietician before starting any program.
My Workouts
To be honest, my workout regime didn’t change too much from what I have always loved doing, which is lifting weights. I aimed to do 4-5 days of week of resistance training, but the most challenging part was not having a gym to go to where I could access heavier weights or a squat rack and exercise machines. But I made it work at home as much as I could.
Here’s a glance at what a typical home workout routine looked like for the first 6 weeks. I decided to do an upper body and lower body split combined with two cardio/core days. You’ll notice that I did focus on lower reps, which meant lifting heavier. Side note: the hunt for dumbbells during a lockdown is a story for another day.
Sunday was my active rest day where I would enjoy doing something active with the family. At the 6-week mark I did make additional changes to my workout program where I was focusing on individual body parts for each workout.
Cardio + Core
On Wednesday and Saturday I would do a 20-minute HIIT ride on Peloton followed by a 20-minute core circuit that looked something like this:
25 Kettlebell Swings
4 different abs/core exercises (15 reps each)
Repeat AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) for a total of 20 minutes
Nutrition
Before I tell you what my eating looked like during those 12 weeks, I want you to know that I have always been a big believer in intuitive eating and have always preached about the importance in listening to your body. To be completely transparent, there were moments over the 3 months when I felt sick and tired of eating the same thing (yikes). It took a lot of preparation to ensure I always had my meals ready to eat. I tried to get creative with dishes (bring on the aaalll the spices), but typically I ended up using a lot of good ol’ hot sauce to get me through (I put that sh*t on everything). True story: I had stopped eating red meat and pork in my teen years and actually revisited beef again on days I just could not stomach chicken and fish. I did weigh my food using a food scale, which is something I haven’t done since I last prepared for a fitness competition nearly 15 years ago (read about my evolution here). Lastly, I limited my alcohol intake to about one drink a week for the first 8 weeks and then nada for the last 4 weeks coming up to the shoot.
Here’s what a typical day of eating looked like for me on a training day for March and April. Again, this is just a sample of what I would eat in a day. I intentionally aimed at increasing my protein intake and admit that I was very consistent with these portions and eating times. For the record, I do not love weighing my food, but it is something I committed to over the course of the 12 weeks.
Meal 1
2 whole eggs
½ cup of oatmeal or 1 slice of sprouted grain bread
1 tbsp of almond butter
2 capsules Omega-3
Digestive Enzyme
Post-Workout
1 scoop Protein Powder mixed with water (or unsweetened almond milk)
3 large rice cakes
Meal 2
4 oz. lean protein
½ cup of brown rice
Fibrous veg or leafy greens
B Complex
Digestive Enzyme
Snack
1 scoop protein powder
1 cup of berries
Meal 3
5 oz. lean protein
4 oz. of white/sweet potato
Fibrous veg or leafy greens
1 tbsp olive oil
Digestive enzyme
2 capsules Omega-3
Probiotic
Magnesium 500mg
For the last month I worked with my friend @Sabrinavirdee who has experience helping women with their nutrition prep for shoots and competitions. The last 4 weeks were a lot more calculated when it came to my macros, my water and sodium intake, but I survived to tell the story (haha). Let’s just say that the few days coming up to the shoot I was drinking up to 8L of water in a day. It wasn’t exactly fun, but I was too busy peeing to know the difference. If you’re interested in learning more about those details, you can send Sabrina message or check her out on instagram.
Sleep and Stress Management
I wanted to highlight these two topics because I don’t think they are prioritized enough when it comes to our health journey. The relationship between sleep, stress and fitness is so important because they all equally impact each other. I committed to sleeping earlier (and going to bed at the same time as much as possible), which I believe played a huge role in my motivation to work out. The quality of my workouts also helped to relieve some of the insomnia I experienced in the past. I also kept stress at bay through meditation and dedicating time to my gratitude journal every morning and night. Here are my Top 10 Gratitude Journal Prompts if you’re interested. Managing stress is so crucial especially when you have your eye on the prize. Stress can impact your ability to regulate the hormone cortisol, which influences your metabolism, immunity, and sleep. With cortisol levels through the roof the result will be you feeling more exhausted and irritable and more likely to dive into a bag of chips and box of chocolates. Bottom line, quality sleep and managing stress levels played a big part in me making it through each week. Let’s just say following a more regimented program during a global pandemic is no easy feat!
Final Words
Everyone’s goals are unique and each individual will respond differently to a workout and nutrition program. It’s important to get to know your own body and discover what works for you. Some women love HIIT workouts with high reps, while others thrive on heavier weights and less cardio. It’s key to determine what drives you and keeps you motivated. The 12 weeks working up to this shoot was a good way to challenge myself and to continue to learn about my own body. I know that I am happiest when I am eating nutritious and balanced meals and when I am working out because it makes me feel good on the inside.
I know I didn’t share it all here, but if you are interested in learning even more details on this 12 week journey to preparing for a shoot, feel free to send me a private message and we can chat :)
Yours in health,
Trisha xo
Photography by Paul Buceta and makeup by Monica Kalra
